Outlet box



c. A. JOHNSON OUTLET BOX Filed oct. s1, 1924 New. 12'; i929.

' mftmrw JK @a Parental- Nev. 12,1929

UNITE-o STATES.

PAIE-Nr OFI-'ica CHESTER. A. JOHNSON, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, 'AssIeNOn'ro JJnrIIznsON 4:a:touffue COMPANY. or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATIONor ILLINOIS f oU'rLEr nox This invention relates to the art of outletboxes for use inwiring buildings and it ref fers more particularly to ameans for'securing to the box the ends of flexible conduits 5 whichprojectthrough the usual holes inthe box wall. i.

The-general object of the invention is t'o provide an extremely simpleand cheap but very effective clamp for gripping the end of 1o 'aflexibleconduit and also to provide a double clamp arranged to securetworadjacentconduits. I

Another object is to provide a clampof this character whichmay bestamped Outof l5 a Hat sheet ofmetal'. i

. 'A further object is to.

. which is operable by deformation of the metal to' perform its clampingfunction.

` A further Objectis to provide in combina- 'zo'tion with an outlet boxa clamp which is constructed and mounted in the box in such a'V .mannerthat the deformation ofthe metal to 'Further objects and advantages ofthe invention will'becomeapparent from the fol'- lowing detaileddescription taken in connection with eo which s Figure 1 is anelevational 'view showing the inside of an outlet box equipped with two-clamps embodying my invention, one ,of the clamps being in its Originalcondition and the other being deformed to grip apair of conduits.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view' taken inzhe plane.

Orf line 2--2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

' clamp is useful more particularly forv secur- *g Ming iexible conduitsuch as' loom conduit or Appncauun meaoctober si, 19114.v smal No.746,990.

ldesirable that such Ameans Ovide a' 'clampA the accompanying drawingsin v 'l The clamp comprises a central portlon v10 'whichfreceives themounting screw 9, from In the operation of wiring a building the 'endsofl conduits adjacent to the outlet orswitch boxes are stuck through.holes in the' boxes, and means must be provided for s e curing theconduits in place to prevent longi. tudinal movement thereof in theholes. My

easily operable. Y

In the preferred embodiment of myinventionwhich vis hereinlshown by wayof example, the outlet box isof circular form com! prising a base wall 3anda peri heral wall Y 4. A stud or support 5 may be xed-to thebasewall3, to which stud a llghting fixture is adapted to be secured. f r

. In the base wall'of thelbox is Ja plurality of circular holes 6 whichnormally are closed by the usual knock-out plugs, the latter beingremoved' .by lthe workman at the oints at which he desires-to introducecon uits into the box. One pair ofsuch conduits is shownbe simple andV'in the drawings and is designated 7 preferably in the formo'f a fiatplate which lies against the base wall of the outletI boxJ and is.secured thereto by. suitable means, 10 which, in thepresentinstance,-con sists of a. screw 9 passing through a hole in the .centralparlil'. of vthe clamp and 'threaded into the boxiwa The holes 6 in thebox Wall are usually -ar- -76 ranged in pairs. Ihe clamp in itsApreferred` f orm is therefore designed to provide -two pairs of clampingjaws each pair of-which is associated withone of the pair of openings.

forming one ed e of the clam' lie closeto 90 and are curved to conformto t e peripheral wall 4 of the box. Rotation ofthe clamp as a wholeabout the screw'9/is thereby prevented and the clamp is held in properrelation to the holes 6 in the box.`

lThe clamp shown at ther upper right hand vside of Fig. 1 is in itsnormal sha e or condi-v tion `While the one at the lower 1e hand side ofthe fi re is shown as deformed to clamp 1 a pair o conduits 7. -Thedeformation may 10o driver into 4the slot 12 of the central easily beeffected with an ordinary Ascrew driver by inserting theblade of thescrew oI'tOn andtwistin'g the blade to spread t e two wings 13 apart.Each of the end win s l1 .may beforced inwardly by inserting the lade ofa screw driver between the Peripheral wall 4 oft the box and the end othe wing and twisting the blade to force the wing away' from said wall.l

Preferably the end.y wings are weakened ne'ar their junction with thecentral portionA .as by forming notches 14. therein so as to facilitatethe. bending of the wings. `The central wings'13 may be similarlytreated by forming an' enlarged opening 15 at the end of the slot 12. Ihave found it preferable to provide a recess 16 or a. projection 17Y ontheend win4 s 11 tocoact with or catch the screw drive blade andpreveiit the blade from slipping as it is being twisted to deformtliewin. f l

B re erence to the upper right hand clamp in 4ig'. 1 it will benotedthat the width of` thecentral portion 10 is slightly reatcr thanthewidth of they metal between t -e two adju'-v cent holes 6 so that thecentral portion of the Clamp sliglitlyoverliangs the holes. eThe end lable t It will be understood. tliat each win s, however, preferably donot overhang .the oles and are shown asi spaced away from the edges of.the holes. The reason for this arrangement is that it is consideredpreferat the conduit will be held between the opposing ortions of cachindividual clamp Iinsteadof eing held partially by engagement 4with theedge of thehole 6 in the box. Itis found that a more eiiective grip onthe con:I duit maybe had in this way as will be understood by referenceto the lower lett hand clamp in Fig. 1 ot the drawing.

pair of win "sof the `clamp rips its conduit indepen ently o fjthe oter, there being two clamps integral with each other. Where only oneconduit is to be secured Ia single .clamp comprising only two wings maybe used. A

.though it is preferible to bendboth win s toward each other, grip Jingaction may ve cit'ained by bending onlyfone Wing toward the other. f-Wlii1e'I have shown in the'drawings the preferred embodiment ot my.invention I recognize that many alternatives and equiva-y lents -maybedevised without departing from tlies irit and scope of the-invention andthereiore de riot limit myself to the exact construction disclosedexcept as specified. in the appended claims and necessitated by4 thestate of the prior art..

I claim .as lin'y invention:

1. In combination with an outlet box havinga base wall and a peri heralwall and haviing'a pair of holes-in sai base wall, a conduit clampcomprising a flatplate lying along said base wall,means for securingsaid plate to said base wall, said plate comprising a central portionhaving a air of oppositely projecting end wings and aving relativelyweak connecting portions between the wings and.

the central portion and apair.' of. central wings, said central wingshavingv a slot be tween them adapted to receive a screw driver forspreadin them apart, the edge of the clamp which is formed by thecentral .piortion and end win s lying close to the peripheral wall f theox and conforming in shape thereto, a space being provided betweeneachend wing and said peripheral wall .to .receive a screw driver forforcing said end wing away from said eripheral 'wallz one end wing .andone centra wing constituting a clam having an embracing relation to oneof sai holes in the box whereby to grip a conduit passing Athrough suchhole.

n combination with an outlet box :having a base wall and a peri heralwall and 3. In combination with an outlet box hav- A ing a'hole in' onewall, 4a conduit clamp lieving a pair of'win(gs occupying an embracingrelation to a con uit entering said hole, the

clamp' being structurally weakened' in the -lane of the wings'tofacilitate deformation iy a manual installing operation comprisingpressing said wings toward each other to grip a conduit otherwise freelymovable in said hole, and means for securing said clamp to the box.

4. In combination with an outlet box vhaving a lair of holes toN-receive conduits,. a

clamp avingtwo pairs of wings. each occupying an embracing relation toaconduit entering one, of said holes and normall 4per-- mitting tofacilitate bcndin of the respectivewings free insertion and withdrawn ofa.y conduit2 parts of the clamp being weakened iio iis

of each pair towar each other in the plane *il of the (plate to clampthe conduits immovably in sai holes, and means for securing said clampto thevbox'.

y 5. A conduit clamp in the form of a dat plate having a centralportionbifurcated at one endfto erm two wings, and having two wingsprojecting in .opposite directions from its other end', arts thereofbeing structural] weak to permit bending of the wings of eac pair towardeach other .in the plane of the plate togri `aconduit.

6. A con uit clamp lin the form of a plate adapted to be secured to theinner wall of a l ies box and having a pair of wings between which aconduit may nprmally be freely inserted and Withdrawn, said wings havinga part thereof structurally weak to facilitate eformation of said Wingsby bending said wings toward each other to grip the conduit.

7. A conduit clamp in the form of a plate adapted to be secured to theinner wall of an outlet box comprising a base portion and a pair ofspaced arcuateV wings projecting therefrom arranged normally to permit ac conduit to be freelyinserted therebetween, the

clamp having a part thereof structurally weak and a slot adjacentsaidpart adapted to receive a tool for bending one wing toward the otherinherently to cla-mp a conduit immovably between them.

8. In combination with an outlet box having a than the space betweensaid holes and two pairs of arcuate Wings projecting in oppositedirections from said central portion, partsof the clamp being weak topermit deformation thereof by bending one wing of each pair toward theother in the plane of the central portion so as to grip a pair ofconduits projecting through said securing said clamp to said outlet box.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

Hnsrnn A. JOHNSON.

pair of adjacent holes in one WallA adapted to receive conduits, a clampcomprising a central portion overlying and wider holes, and means for'

